Mister Smartee claims another stakes win

The former kiwi pacer Mister Smartee maintained his outstanding career strike rate with another stakes race win at Gloucester Park on Friday night, this time in the $50,000, Group 3 Governors Cup.

The Gary Hall Snr trained Always B Miki 5-year-old simply proved too good for his rivals.

After biding his time mid-field early in the race, Mister Smartee strode to the front with just over a lap to run and easily drew clear of the field in the straight the final time to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

The victory took last season’s Golden Nugget winner’s record to a stellar 16 wins, seven at Group race level, from 20 starts for stakes earnings of $585,246.

Bred by Dancingonmoonlight Limited, Mister Smartee is out of the Stonebridge Regal mare Luna Danza.

Another New Zealand bred pacer by Always B Miki to impress over the weekend was last season’s Queensland Oaks winner Aardie B Miki, who continued her undefeated start to her Northern Hemisphere career with a third successive win in the Blue Chip Match Maker Series at Yonkers Raceway.